Inside Line Promotions - OHSWEKEN, Ontario, Canada (Aug. 1, 2013) - The Ironman 55 is coming at the right time for Big Game Motorsports drivers Craig Dollansky and Sammy Swindell.
Dollansky became the first back-to-back winner of the $20,000-to-win event, held this Friday and Saturday at Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 in Pevely, Mo., when he claimed the victory the past two seasons.
It marks the return to the United States for the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series drivers, who spent last weekend competing in Canada.
Preceding the foreign trip was a race at Rolling Wheels Raceway Park in Elbridge, N.Y., a week ago Tuesday. Dollansky and his Eyecon Trail Cameras car had a steep hill to climb early in the night while Swindell had to overcome an issue late in the event in his Big Game Treestands backed car.
"We had lost a motor in hot laps and got behind the eight ball," Dollansky said. "The guys did a good job of getting that motor changed. We got ourselves transferred through the heat race and moved up a few spots in the dash. To get out of there with a fourth-place finish after the start we had was great."
After qualifying ninth quickest, the Eyecon Trail Cameras car won a heat race and maneuvered from ninth to sixth in the dash. Dollansky picked up two more positions in the main event to garner his 15th top-five result of the season.
Swindell qualified seventh quickest, placed third in his heat race and seventh in the dash to start the feature on the inside of the fourth row. However, early in the race he was caught up in an incident and spun to a stop.
"We had a pretty good car, I just got kinda taken out there early in the race and had to go to the back," he said. "We were running ok, just didn't need to have to go to the back and start over. It's just the way it goes sometimes. It made for kind of a long race, but we ran some good laps toward the end."
After restarting at the back of the field, the Big Game Treestands car advanced to finish ninth.
Big Game Motorsports and the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series ventured to Canada on Saturday at Autodrome Drummond in Drummondville, Quebec. Both Dollansky and Swindell said they struggled to find the speed and setup for the fast track.
Swindell qualified 10th quickest, won his heat race and finished ninth in the dash. However, much like the previous race, he had to work his way forward from the back after an early incident.
"Our car was too tight for the start of the race," he said. "I just tried to free it up a bit by running out just a bit of the line. I got a little sideways and I looked over and somebody was going to run into us so I tried to spin it around. Another car was there so I just had to stop. I was trying not to get hit."
Once again, the Big Game Treestands car was forced to maneuver from the back of the pack and Swindell placed 10th - his 31st top 10 of the season.
The Eyecon Trail Cameras vehicle qualified 13th quickest, finished fifth in the heat race and then advanced from 13th to seventh in the main event.
"We pretty much struggled through the whole night," Dollansky said. "We didn't have the mile per hour through qualifying. It seemed about all we could do there. In either of the two Canada tracks we didn't get the finish we wanted."
After Sunday's event at Cornwall Motor Speedway in Cornwall, Ontario, was cancelled because of weather, the teams wrapped up the swing through Canada on Tuesday at Ohsweken Speedway in Ohsweken, Ontario, for the Arrow Express Cup.
Dollansky qualified 11th quickest, won his heat race and placed 10th in the dash to start the main event on the outside of the fifth row.
"Not a great qualifying effort to start the night," he said. "In the end we made some progress. It's not what we'd like to have for a finish. If you were operating pretty good you could do some passing. There was a bottom that some were using and a top that some were using. Both grooves seemed pretty even."
With top-five cars in sight at the checkered flag, the Eyecon Trail Cameras car finished eighth.
Swindell qualified third quickest, placed fifth in his heat race and eighth in the dash to begin the feature on the outside of the fourth row.
"It seems we're struggling the first part of these races when we're full of fuel," he said. "We've got to figure out what to do to make the car better at the early part of the run.
"We wound up having a couple of guys slide me at the start and lost a few places. The second half of the race we were going pretty quick at the end and gained about four spots back. It's just the way that trip went. We've been trying to do some things that makes the car hooked up better, but it's been making it to where I can't turn it. We gave it a few races. We've got to evaluate that and maybe back up a step to where we were to where we ran these three races."
Swindell finished 12th to wrap up the month of July.
QUICK RESULTS -
DOLLANSKY:
July 23 - Rolling Wheels Raceway Park in Elbridge, N.Y. - Qualifying: 9; Heat race: 1 (2); Dash: 6 (9); Feature: 4 (6).
July 27 - Autodrome Drummond in Drummondville, Quebec, Canada - Qualifying: 13; Heat race: 5 (5); Feature: 7 (13).
July 30 - Ohsweken Speedway in Ohsweken, Ontario, Canada - Qualifying: 11; Heat race: 1 (1); Dash: 10 (9); Feature: 8 (10).
SWINDELL:
July 23 - Rolling Wheels Raceway Park in Elbridge, N.Y. - Qualifying: 7; Heat race: 3 (2); Dash: 7 (7); Feature: 9 (7).
July 27 - Autodrome Drummond in Drummondville, Quebec, Canada - Qualifying: 10; Heat race: 1 (1); Dash: 9 (9); Feature: 10 (9).
July 30 - Ohsweken Speedway in Ohsweken, Ontario, Canada - Qualifying: 3; Heat race: 5 (4); Dash: 8 (6); Feature: 12 (8).
SEASON STATS -
DOLLANSKY : 51 races, 5 wins, 15 top fives, 30 top 10s, 41 top 15s, 49 top 20s
SWINDELL : 51 races, 2 wins, 13 top fives, 31 top 10s, 43 top 15s, 47 top 20s
UP NEXT -
Friday and Saturday at Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 in Pevely, Mo., for the Ironman 55 with the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series
LIVE AUDIO -
Keep up with Big Game Motorsports via free, live audio from DIRTVision at every World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series event throughout the season. For more information, click http://www.DIRTVision.com.
MEDIA LINKS -
Big Game Treestands: http://www.BigGameTreestands.com
Aggressive Hydraulics: http://www.AggressiveHydraulics.com
MobileStar: http://www.MobileStar.us/mobilestarwebsite
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Big_Game_TS
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Big-Game-Treestands/251832101535076?fref=ts
BIG GAME TREESTANDS -
Established in 1977 in Windom, Minn., Big Game Treestands has grown to be a leading company in the outdoor industry. Big Game Treestands offers a Rock Solid™ line of field tested, safety certified above TMA requirements, welded steel stands & free standing elevated platforms that gives you not only a safe and extremely sturdy vantage point, but also reliable all-day comfort at a great value. Large, non-slip standing platforms, top-notch fastening systems, and our innovative pinned, sleeved ladder sections provide the Rock Solid™ stance, twist free climbing, and all around silence that Big Game Treestands® is known for. Non-glare, powder coat finish keeps our products hidden from nature's wary eye.
For over 30 years, it has been our goal and our philosophy to provide the most innovative and practical treestands and hunting accessories in the field. As tradition continues, we are Exceeding Limitations and once again providing new models that challenge Mother Nature. In 2012 Big Game extended the line into Trail Cameras known for the easy to set, great picture quality, and over all great camera Eyecon Trail Cameras exceeds the expectations of consumers. Big Game Treestands® and Eyecon Trail Cameras® offers undeniable quality on time-tested favorites as well as new innovations for 2013.
For more information on Big Game Treestands, visit http://www.BigGameTreestands.com.
EYECON TRAIL CAMERAS ® -
Eyecon Trail Cameras® are premier trail cameras for hunters and outdoorsmen. The Black Widow Trail Camera, Storm Trail Camera and Quikshot Trail Camera provide a variety of options that are user-friendly with exceptional imaging. To learn more about or purchase Eyecon Trail Cameras®, visit http://www.EyeconTrailCameras.com.
INSIDE LINE PROMOTIONS -
Inside Line Promotions specializes in affordable public relations, media management and merchandising services for sprint car teams. ILP Founder Shawn Miller leverages professional journalism with new media technologies and social networking to improve your exposure and your sponsors' return on investment.
To meet the media relations needs of your team, contact Shawn at 541-510-3663 or sprintcarreporter@yahoo.com. For more information on Inside Line Promotions, visit http://www.insidelinepromotions.com.
- Admin Account on Aug 02, 2013
- Article Date: 8/2/2013 by Shawn Miller